In ancient Athens, exile was a common punishment for political offenses, forcing citizens to leave their city for years.
在古雅典，流放是对政治罪行的常见惩罚，迫使公民离开城市多年。
Which choice best defines “punishment”?
D — A penalty given for a crime or bad behavior. “punishment” means a penalty given for a crime or bad behavior.
Which word means “a penalty given for a crime or bad behavior”?
A — punishment. “punishment” means a penalty given for a crime or bad behavior.
punishment — a penalty given for a crime or bad behavior. In Chinese: 惩罚.
punishment is pronounced /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/.
In ancient Athens, exile was a common punishment for political offenses, forcing citizens to leave their city for years. (在古雅典，流放是对政治罪行的常见惩罚，迫使公民离开城市多年。)
penalty, sanction, consequence — all close in meaning to punishment (a penalty given for a crime or bad behavior).
reward, pardon — each the opposite of punishment (a penalty given for a crime or bad behavior).
Yes. punishment is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.